Report: US asks Google to remove anti-police videos

Google rejected two requests to take down videos that may have defamed police

By PoliceOne Staff

Google has updated its online transparency report, which indicates that the company is receiving requests from law enforcement agencies asking that specific content — such as YouTube videos defaming police — be taken down.

Between January and June 2011, government and police agencies in the United States filed 92 submissions for content removal, and at least two requests alleging defamation of law enforcement officials were among them, according to RT.

Google rejected both requests.

In the report, Google stated:

“We received a request from a local law enforcement agency to remove YouTube videos of police brutality, which we did not remove. Separately, we received requests from a different local law enforcement agency for removal of videos allegedly defaming law enforcement officials. We did not comply with those requests, which we have categorized in this Report as defamation requests.”

About 27 percent of submissions are rejected by the company, sources said.

The transparency report is intended to contribute to a discussion on about how the internet should be regulated, Google said.